To think you should leave the room with your screaming baby?

[reventiania]

DS nativity today, 120 kids in the performance.

Throughout 75% of it, there were two babies (aged around 12 months) that were screaming and crying. It made it impossible to hear what the children were saying, and it essentially ruined the whole thing.

AIBU to think they should have left the room with them? I'm so cross for the children as they've worked so hard, just for crying babies to drown out their voices.

Yanbu.
People are dickheads. It's the same cycle every time and it can be seen clearly on MN by the threads.
1.Baby/toddler cries and drowns out performance and distracts the children on stage..
2.Head teacher/ staff review the situation and decide to not allow babies and toddler the following year due to staff and other parent complaints
3.Uproar: "but I don't have anyone to mind baby" "DH and I need to go together" "schools are clueless expecting no siblings" "dc will be devastated if baby is not there "etc etc

Yes they should have stepped outside. DC’s school actually asked that babies and siblings do not attend this year - they didn’t outright ban them, but said they’d need a ticket and basically said consider leaving them so children aren’t distracted (and each child was allowed 2 tickets). There were two performances and only 2 tickets per child so most children had one performance without a family member watching them in the audience.

Yes, I know it’s sad for that parent but better that than ruin everyone else’s too if no one can hear anything.

How ridiculous. The OP clearly said the babies were about 12 months old, so not a new baby at all.
And again, if the family dynamics are out of whack still after a whole year, it's hardly the problem of everyone else in the hall, is it??

100% should leave the room, it's completely inconsiderate not to for everyone else.

It’s hard as that parent might not have childcare for baby however yes I think they should leave! The primary I went to did not allow young children or babies in, the school my kids go to did allow it, then decided to invite parents with small children to the dress rehearsal rather than the actual performances. I was quite fortunate that my youngest was a quiet baby when I took her to any of my eldest school events!

not a school play but my daughters school did a phonics workshop to help parents and children a while ago, a mum took her school age kid along with her younger kids, the kids were screaming, running around at the beginning and me being hard of hearing couldn’t hear anything the staff were saying! It’s not often I get annoyed my other kids being noisy, usually I have the attitude that if it’s not mine, I don’t care however in this instance I was annoyed!

I’d have left the room. Do people have a lack of awareness or just a lack of care for anyone but themselves?

This has made me worried as I’m taking my youngest to my oldest’s first nativity today (no childcare for youngest else I wouldn’t take him to be honest). Oldest one doesn’t have much confidence anyway and would be totally unsettled and sad if I walked out and likewise I would be gutted to miss any of it.

Definitely agree in principle screaming babies should be taken out but it’s not an easy situation for anyone.

I wish the lady that was coughing last week had left because I feel rough today. She coughed all through the finale to the performance. She keeps doing a funny laugh. It was not funny. I would have left the room myself.

Also if my baby was crying I would have gone out and soothed them to not ruin the experience for everyone :)

Your youngest might be totally fine.

poor baby

If a baby is screaming the whole time then it's hysterical, and of course needs to be sorted out and calmed down. Personally I wouldn't TAKE a baby to a nativity for my older child where I need to focus on that child not the baby.

At my school we asked that pre-school children didn’t attend but we also offered a crèche facility, staffed by our Breakfast /After School Club staff. Maybe something to consider for next year?

A bun fight? I imagine that depends on what kind of school it is. Our primary has around that number of children in total and they regularly perform together as a whole school. They all demonstrate impeccable behaviour and the staff are brilliant at organising them.

Of course they should take the baby out. I can't believe some people are saying 'but the parent / the child who they came to watch will be upset'. Maybe but sure they will get over it, and sometimes they do need to learn that you need to miss things if going means it ruins it for everyone else (eg turning up to things with a sickness bug). It's different if they have parents that could go but just don't make the effort

Our nativity is for all p1 and 2s so 120 kids. One family but hordes of sheep and camels and stars. The p2 each get a couple of lines and the p1s do the group dances. Everyone gets 2 tickets so it's somewhere around 300 in the audience (siblings at the school go as well)

The first school I worked in was really rough. Siblings wandered around the hall with bags of Monster Munch in their hands whilst the parents talked throughout the performance. They stopped for 2 seconds when their child stood up to do their bit then went straight back to talking. I wondered why the children in my Reception class cane in to school with no idea how to behave. Then I met their parents.

It is if no one can hear what's being said on the stage.

I have a baby and absolutely would have left! In fact at my DDs nativity last week I sat on the end of a row near the door just in case 😅

School staff should step in and have them take the baby out - it’s unfair and off putting for all the kids and families.

Yes, they should leave. When I was teaching they were always asked to do this but not all did.

I don’t know what school nativities you’ve been to but I’ve never used a mic at any of mine 😄. We teach the kids to project their voices - we don’t have mics!

We never used mics. I have seen a couple where they do and I think it spoils it.

And all the other parents will be gutted to miss their kids’ lines too. If your youngest is being noisy you need to go out.

Well baby probably overtired and hard to sooth and if it's a parent on their own the older kid really wants their parent to watch so it's tricky.

My DCs' primary school PTA ran a creche during performances - worked brilliantly.